Middle East & North Africa Higher Education Questions

Question 1

To what extent has oil played a role in shaping political and economic development in the region?

How did oil help fuel the rise of Saudi Arabia?
In what ways does oil foster regional and international competition?
Why do resource-rich countries often have authoritarian political structures?

Question 2

Evaluate the role that religion plays in domestic and international politics in the region. How is religion used and abused by both politicians and terrorist groups to advance their goals?

Why is the Middle East religiously significant for Christians, Muslims, and Jews?
What is the Sunni-Shia divide and how does it sow tension in the region?
What are the drivers of terrorism in the region?
How does religion influence Lebanon’s political system?

Question 3

What are the roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? To what extent should the United States involve itself in an attempt to bring peace to the region? Is a peaceful settlement possible?

How did the 1947 UN Partition Plan lay the groundwork for further conflict in the region?
Why were the Oslo Accords unsuccessful at achieving peace?
How do the status of Palestinian refugees complicate peace negotiations between Israel and Palestinians?

Question 4

Evaluate how effective the United States has been at accomplishing its foreign policy goals in the Middle East. Should the United States continue to involve itself in the region?

To what extent have United States foreign policy goals in the region changed over time?
Overall, has the United States benefited as a result of its involvement in the region?
Has United States intervention in the Middle East led to more positive or negative developments in the region?

Question 5

What different political trajectories did Middle Eastern countries take in the aftermath of the Arab uprisings? What factors contributed to these outcomes?

Why were some countries more successful at moving towards democratic transition in the region than others following the Arab uprisings?
What explains the outcomes of Egypt’s 2011 revolution?
To what extent did the Arab uprisings spur instability in the region?

Question 6

How can regional governments best respond to the humanitarian crises taking place throughout the region? To what extent should the United States respond to these crises?

What drives humanitarian crises today in the Middle East?
How do humanitarian crises sow further instability in the region?